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Anything Goes (musical)
This is about the '''stage musical.' For the first film adaptation, see Anything Goes (1936 film). For the second, see Anything Goes (1956 film). For the television adaptation, see Anything Goes (1954 film). '' Anything Goes is a romantic-comedy stage musical. Cast *Ethel Merman - Reno Sweeney *William Gaxton - Billy Crocker *Bettina Hall - Hope Harcourt *Victor Moore - Moonface Martin *Leslie Barrie - Lord Evelyn Oakleigh *Vera Dunn - Bonnie Letour *Paul Everton - Elisha J. Whitney *John C. King - Captain *Val Vestoff - Assistant Purser Plot Billy Crocker, a young Wall Street broker, has fallen in love at first sight with a beautiful girl he met in a taxi. His boss, Elisha J. Whitney, is preparing to make a business deal and is going to travel to London aboard the SS American. Evangelist turned nightclub singer Reno Sweeney will be traveling aboard the same ship. Billy sees Reno as a friend, but she obviously has feelings for him. Billy goes to the dock to say farewell to his boss and Reno, and glimpses the mysterious girl again. He learns that she is heiress Hope Harcourt and, escorted by her mother, Mrs. Harcourt, is on her way to England with her fiancé Lord Evelyn Oakleigh, a handsome but stuffy and hapless British nobleman. Billy stows away on the ship in hopes of winning Hope's heart. "Moonface" Martin, a second-rate gangster labeled "Public Enemy 13", and his girlfriend, Bonnie, have disguised themselves as a minister and a missionary and innocently aided by Billy, board the ship under their assumed identities, stranding the ship's real chaplain back at the port. Moonface and Bonnie mistakenly leave behind their leader, "Snake Eyes" Johnson, Public Enemy 1. To thank Billy, Bonnie and Moonface let him have Snake Eyes Johnson's passport and ticket without telling him to whom they belong. Billy cons Evelyn into leaving him alone with Hope, by convincing him he is very ill. When he goes to get some air, Billy and Hope meet again, and it turns out she has been unable to stop thinking about him as well. Though Hope prefers Billy, she insists she must marry Evelyn, though she gives no reason. Unbeknownst to Billy, her family's company is in financial trouble and a marriage to Evelyn would promote a merger and save it. The ship's crew gets a cable from New York saying that Public Enemy 1 is on board. Moonface admits his true identity to Billy and he and Bonnie conspire to disguise Billy as a crew member since he is now presumed to be Snake Eyes Johnson. A quartet of lovelorn sailors comfort themselves with the thought of romance when they reach shore. On deck, Bonnie lures the sailors to her, then steals the clothes of one of the men for Billy. Hope discusses her impending marriage with Evelyn and discovers that he is not particularly pleased with the engagement either. Billy asks Reno to help separate Evelyn and Hope, and she agrees. Billy and Reno reaffirm their friendship. Reno tries to charm Evelyn, she succeeds, and he invites her for a drink in his cabin. She and Moon plot that Moon should burst into the cabin and discover Reno half-naked in Evelyn's arms, providing sufficient reason for breaking off the engagement. However, when Moon breaks into the room, machine gun in tow, he instead sees Reno fully dressed and Evelyn nearly undressed. Moon tries to invent some indecent explanation for the situation, but Evelyn insists that he would be quite pleased by any rumor depicting him as a passionate lover, especially if Hope heard it. Moon admits that the plot has failed. The crew discover that Billy is not a sailor, and Moon and Reno create a new disguise for him from a stolen pair of trousers, a jacket taken from a drunken passenger, and hair cut from Mrs. Harcourt's Pomeranian and made into a beard. Reno tells Billy that Evelyn has kissed her, and she is sure she will be Lady Oakleigh soon, since love moves so quickly these days. Mrs. Harcourt, recognizing her dog's hair, angrily pulls off Billy's beard and the crew and passengers realize he must be the wanted man. As Snake Eyes Johnson, Billy is an instant celebrity. Billy is honored by both crew and passengers as "Public Enemy Number One." He tells the Captain that Moon (who is still disguised as a minister) is helping him reform from his wicked ways. Moon is asked to lead a revival in the ship's lounge. The passengers confess their sins to the "Reverend", and Sir Evelyn admits to a one-night stand with a young Chinese woman, Plum Blossom. Hope is not impressed with Billy's charade, and to please her, he confesses to everyone that he is not really Snake Eyes Johnson. Moon attempts to compensate by revealing that he is not a minister; he is Public Enemy Number Thirteen. The captain sends them both to the brig. Reno restores the mood of the Revival. Moon tries to cheer Billy up. Billy doubts he will ever see Hope again; he and Moon cannot leave their cell until they return to America. Their card-playing Chinese cellmates, imprisoned for conning all the third class passengers out of their money, will be put ashore in England. Moon and Billy challenge them to a game of strip poker, win their clothes, and disguise themselves again. Billy, Moon, and Reno show up at the Oakleigh estate in Chinese garb. Billy and Moon tell Oakleigh's uncle that they are the parents of "Plum Blossom" and threaten to publicize Evelyn's indiscretion if he does not marry her. Oakleigh offers to buy them off and Moon gleefully accepts the cash, much to Billy and Reno's chagrin. Billy and Reno find Hope and Evelyn, who are both unhappy with the prospect of their matrimony. Hope declares that she desperately wants to marry Billy. Billy spots Whitney and finally learns that Evelyn and Hope's planned marriage is really an awkward business merger. Billy realises that Oakleigh is manipulating them all; Hope's company is really worth millions and Billy informs Whitney of that fact. Whitney offers to buy the firm from Hope at an exorbitant price, and she accepts. The marriage is called off since a merger is now impossible. Billy and Hope get married, as do Reno and Evelyn. A cable from the U.S. government fixes Billy's passport problems and declares Moon "harmless". Moon indignantly pockets Oakleigh's check and refuses to return it. Musical numbers Act I *"I Get a Kick Out of You" – Reno Sweeney *"(There's No Cure Like Travel)/Bon Voyage" – Sailor, Girl and Ship's Crew and Company *"All Through the Night" (in Act II in 1962, 1987, 2011 revivals) – Billy Crocker, Hope Harcourt and Men *"You'd Be So Easy to Love" (cut in 1934, reinstated for 1987 and 2011 revivals, as "Easy to Love") – Billy Crocker *"I Want to Row on the Crew" (only in 1987, called "The Crew Song" in 2011 revival) – Elisha J. Whitney *"Sailor's Chanty (There'll Always Be A Lady Fair)" (not in 1962) – Quartet *"Where Are the Men?" (replaced by heaven hop") – Bonnie *"You're the Top" – Reno Sweeney and Billy Crocker *"Waltz Down the Aisle" (1934 - cut out of town) – Billy Crocker and Hope Harcourt *"Friendship" (first in 1962 revival) – Reno Sweeney and Moonface Martin (Also Billy in 1962) *"It's De-Lovely" (first in 1962 revival) – Billy Crocker and Hope Harcourt *"Anything Goes" – Reno Sweeney and Company Act II *"Public Enemy Number One" – Captain, Purser, Company *"Let's Step Out" (only in 1962 revival) – Bonnie *"What a Joy to be Young" (only in 1934) – Hope Harcourt *"Let's Misbehave" (only in 1962 revival) – Reno and Sir Evelyn *"Blow, Gabriel, Blow" – Reno Sweeney and Company (Immediately follows "Public Enemy Number One in 1987, 2011 revivals) *"Goodbye, Little Dream, Goodbye" (in 1987, 2011 revivals) – Hope Harcourt *"Be Like the Bluebird" – Moonface Martin *"All Through the Night" (Reprise, not included in 1987, 2011) – Billy Crocker, Hope Harcourt *"The Gypsy in Me" – Hope Harcourt (Lord Evelyn Oakleigh in 1987, 2011) *"Buddie, Beware" – Reno Sweeney (Erma and Sailors in 1987, 2011) *"Take Me Back to Manhattan" – Reno Sweeney *"Finale (I Get a Kick Out of You)" – Reno Sweeney and Ensemble Category:Stage musicals